Tender Unity
by Kylie Concorde
Summary: Just some LiefxJasmine story I wrote to cure boredom and improve my writing style. It's short, but sweet, so I hope you take the time to read it!
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: **Well, what do you know! I've lost all capacity for original thought and instead resorted to writing pointless LiefxJasmine stories. I know there are plenty of stories of this kind, but I just felt like adding my own version into the mix. I'm worried that this will sound silly or dorky, but there's not much I can do about that. So, enjoy!

**-**

Jasmine had never been a princess. Having grown up in a deadly forest, she had developed an impulsive, feisty and stubborn nature. Lief couldn't imagine anyone less likely to be a princess.

Jasmine was a queen, his queen, the Queen of Deltora.

But of course, she had not been at all keen to accept the job. Survival in the Forests of Silence depended on looking after one's own self. The idea of sharing the responsibility of governing the beautiful, yet dangerous land that was Deltora had terrified Jasmine to her core.

Yet Jasmine was the kind of girl who never backed down from a challenge before; the kind of girl who would stand by Lief's side, for better or for worse.

'You do not have to do this if you unless you want to, Jasmine,' Lief whispered to her, soothingly, the night before their wedding. The two of them were seated on the edge of their bed, with their arms around each others shoulders. All was silent, apart from the gentle crackling sounds, which were issuing from a single flickering candle. Lief soaked in the tranquil atmosphere, as he watched the candle's light dance upon the cold stone walls of the forge.

'Stop treating me like I am some scared little child, Lief,' Jasmine barked at him in agitation, 'You know who I am and what I have been through.'

'Of course I do. But this is a very risky step you are choosing to take. I want you to be certain that this is the right choice.'

Jasmine snarled indignantly. 'Whatever happened to the hot-headed Lief I used to know, the one who would rush straight into danger's path, just to prove his bravery?'

'I am a king now. I have changed, Jasmine, and I am asking you to change too,' Lief stated firmly.

Jasmine laughed, 'You know I will never change. I will always belong to the forest. But I suppose one must make sacrifices to get what they want.'

'Just know that whatever challenges we may face; they could never be any worse than the ones we have already overcome.'

Lief and Jasmine grinned eagerly at each other, each of them finding an escape from the worries that plagued them.

In a moment containing more magic than the Belt of Deltora, Lief titled his head ever so slightly to the right, allowing his lips to makes contact with Jasmine's for the briefest of seconds. As they did so, the rest of the world melted away, leaving the two of them enclosed in their own private bubble.

'What did I do to deserve a girl like you?' Lief asked, gingerly stroking the side of her face.

'Well, as far as I can remember, you ran recklessly into the forest and got yourself petrified by the Wenn, you silly little boy,' Jasmine mocked.

The two of them climbed into bed in a fit of laughter. As Lief extinguished his candle, a comforting realisation occurred to him. Whether Jasmine was queen or not, was irrelevant to him, because no choice she could ever make would cause him to love her any less.

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Hope you liked it! Please leave a review! And feel free to make a suggestion as to what I should write next, beause I'm really lost for ideas at the moment.


	2. Chapter 2: Conception

**Author's Note: **Well, it's probably a little soon to update, but I've managed to finish this chapter, so why not? It's the holidays now so I haven't had much else to do, maybe I should start writing longer chapters. What do people think? Oh and before I forget, thanks for the idea, PurpleLight :)

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As he knelt beside her, Lief questioned whether the woman in his bed was really his Jasmine, instead of some girly imposter. The way her chest rose and fell in the harmony with her calm, easy breaths, made her appear so deceptively delicate. Rays of morning sunlight leaked in through the curtains, splashing onto her face, which was depicting an expression of utter peacefulness. Not a single muscle in her body was tensed, even the slightest bit.

But the aspect of Jasmine's appearance which suited her least was the pillow-sized bulge around her belly. Tentatively, Lief caressed the future ruler of Deltora, sighing with contentment as he did so, before directing his attention back to his wife.

He hardly dared to believe that this was the same girl who had travelled the land in his company, slaying their enemies with relentless courage and defeating obstacles, which Lief could never have handled on his own.

He looked to her wild mane of hair for reassurance. Jasmine detested the very notion of having her hair tamed. She claimed that it their willingness to comply with 'pointless traditions' which had turned the previous kings of Deltora into such inadequate rulers. Lief knew from experience that once an opinion had manifested itself in Jasmine's mind, it would be nigh on impossible to sway her. Only his Jasmine would cling to her convictions with such persistence.

Lief shuddered, as a sudden pang of guilt stabbed him in the chest. It was wrong for him to refer to Jasmine as being 'his'. She would certainly not approve of being anyone's property. But the more Lief marvelled at the sight of the young woman and her soon-to-child, the more possessive he felt toward the both of them.

Endless doubts floated about in Lief's head. He knew child-birth was no easy task, but he had faith in Jasmine's strength of character. The birth alone would, however, be the least of their worries. There was still the matter of raising the child and moulding it into the dependable leader it needed to become, if the land of Deltora were to be preserved in its sanctity.

Lief cast another glance upon Jasmine's face, allowing her sleepiness to infect him. So mesmerized was he, by the image of his wife, that he only subconsciously heard the sounds of approaching footsteps.

Though reluctant to divert his gaze, Lief eventually snapped his head around, curious to know who had decided upon visiting him at such an early hour. 'Barda,' he stammered in delight. He stood up to shake his former companion's hand, as the broad-shouldered man strode confidently into the room.

'Lief, a pleasure to see you as always.' Barda beamed down at his old friend. His eyes came to rest upon the pregnant Jasmine. 'I see you shall soon have three children to take care off,' he teased, 'including yourself.'

Lief feigned annoyance, as he gave Barda a playful punch on the arm for old time's sake. 'How was the journey from Broome?'

'Not much to complain about, the weather has been rather swell recently.'

'Indeed it has,' Lief agreed, 'and it will be even warmer when our child is born.'

'It shall be born in the late summer then, just as you were,' Barda inquired.

Lief nodded. His heart leapt as Jasmine's eyes flickered open. She blinked drowsily around the room, waiting for the image of her husband to come into focus.

'Good morning, dear,' Lief cooed, returning to his place at Jasmine's bedside, so as to give her a brisk peck on the cheek.

Now that Jasmine had awakened from her peaceful slumber, the illusion of calmness would soon vanish and Lief would have his fierce, energetic Jasmine back for the day.

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Don't forget to review!


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